Stealth Drafts Johns Hopkins Grads Rabil And Huntley In The First Round
September 8, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
San Jose Stealth News Release
The Stealth nabbed the player they would have chosen with the first overall pick when Johns Hopkins All-American forward Paul Rabil fell to them at the no. 2 overall selection in Sunday's National Lacrosse League Entry Draft.
The expansion Boston Blazers took left-hander Daryl Veltman with the first choice. Stealth President and General Manager Johnny Mouradian said, "Those two players were going to be the first two guys, picked, it just depended on your team's needs."
San Jose was attracted to Rabil's smarts (he was selected Academic All-American by ESPN for the second straight year), size (he's 6-3, 225 pounds) and ability (he's a four-time All-American).
"He has ridiculous skills," Locker said. "He's one of the best pure athletes I've ever seen. ... You just can't stop him."
Rabil was the first overall pick of the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse (the professional outdoor league) after starring at Johns Hopkins. He led the Blue Jays, a college powerhouse, in career goals (111) and points (178) for a midfielder. He also played well under pressure, as Hopkins' career leader in goals (28), assists (23) and points (51) in NCAA tournament games.
Rabil hasn't played much indoor lacrosse but Locker, who's the general manager of the MLL's San Francisco Dragons, believes his transition will be smooth under new coach Jeff Dowling.
"He's already a good player without even playing much in the indoor game," Locker said.
With a flurry of pre-draft trades, the Stealth dominated the first round with three selections in the first five picks. Here is the team's draft class:
First Round, 2 (overall), Paul Rabil - Johns Hopkins University (In the MLL Rabil had 24 goals and 7 assists)
First Round 3 (overall) Rhys Duch - University of Stony Brook (scored 96 goals in college)
First Round 5 (overall) - Kevin Huntley - Johns Hopkins University (28 goals last year for the Blue Jays)
Third Round 32 (overall) Alex Turner - Simon Fraser University
Fifth Round 57 (overall) Trevor Wagar - University of Vermont
Sixth Round 70 (overall) Nick O'Hara - Duke University
San Jose was able to draft Rabil's Blue Jays' teammate Kevin Huntley by trading forward Luke Wiles in a three-way deal with Toronto and Rochester that landed the Stealth the fifth overall pick. Huntley, a sharp-shooting forward, recently won Rookie of the Year honors for the MLL's L.A. Riptide with a rookie record 30 goals.
Locker and team president and general manager Johnny Mouradian think they might have gotten a steal with left-handed forward Alex Turner in the third round. Turner, playing junior lacrosse for the British Columbia Junior Lacrosse League New West Minister Salmon Bellies in Canada, scored 23 goals and had a whopping 40 assists.
"Our staff did an incredible job positioning ourselves in this draft," Mouradian said. "We look forward to having the opportunity to introduce and teach Paul Rabil, Kevin Huntley and Nick O'Hara in the game of indoor lacrosse."
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National Lacrosse League Stories from September 8, 2008
- Stealth Drafts Johns Hopkins Grads Rabil And Huntley In The First Round - San Jose Stealth
- Gallant returns to Mammoth - Colorado Mammoth
- Buffalo selects three defenders with four picks at NLL Entry Draft - Buffalo Bandits
- Knighthawks' John Grant to miss 2009 NLL season - Rochester Knighthawks
- Blazers Select Daryl Veltman with Top Pick in NLL Entry Draft - Boston Blazers
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